When Push Comes To Shove!

 

An internet search on the phrase "when push comes to shove" led to a website at grammarist.com. That site defined the phase as "an American idiom that describes the critical time when a decision / commitment must be made, when action must be taken to back up words." That definition reminds me of the Spanish proverb that says, "It’s not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring." And then there’s the unknown bullfighter who said, "To fight a bull when you are not scared is nothing. And to not fight a bull when you are scared is nothing. But to fight a bull when you are scared – that is something." These words apply to Christians. We all have some "when push comes to shove" moments. Those "fight or flight" moments when we must decide if a particular action will be faithful or foolhardy. David fought and felled a nine-foot tall giant Goliath with nothing but a sling and a stone (1 Sam. 17. But later, as he ran and sought to hide from King Saul’s attempts to kill him, David confessed in Psalm 56:3, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in you." We remember Moses as the fearless, mighty man of faith who marched boldly into Pharaoh’s court in Egypt, thundering God’s command to "Let My people go." But in Exodus 3:10ff, when God initially told him he would be the one to go to Egypt to lead God’s people out of slavery, the Exodus narrative reveals God had to push Moses to the point of shoving him! Moses’ faith finally kicked in. He overcame his fear and got busy doing what God called him to do. Peter and the rest of Jesus’ apostles had a "when push comes to shove moment" the night Judas betrayed the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. Earlier that evening all the apostles verbally expressed undying devotion to Him, declaring they would never forsake Him, even if they had to die (Matt.26:34-35). But a few hours later, crunch time came, and fear (temporarily) smothered their faith. They all forsook Jesus and fled (Matt.26:56). But later in Acts 2 and the following chapters, other "when push comes to shove" moments came along. Now, filled with the Holy Spirit of God and trusting Christ’s promise to always be with them (Matt.28:20), their faith pushed fear out of the way. Repeatedly facing verbal and even physical beatings if they didn’t stop preaching the Christ, they stuck their necks out and kept preaching anyway. Their actions backed up their words. And talk about a "when push comes to shove moment" – check out Esther, our ancient ancestor in faith, a Jewess who became the Queen of Persia (her story is in the Old Testament book that bears her name). The critical moment in her life is in Esther chapter 4. In a threatening situation fraught with risk and fear, she chose to line act in faith rather than allow fear to hold her back and imperil her own life and the lives of all her Jewish kinsmen throughout the Persian Empire. We remember Esther, not because she wasn’t afraid, but because when "push came to shove," she declared in Esther 4:16, "And so I will go in to the king, which is against the [Persian] law; and if I perish, I perish!" She fought the bull when she was scared. Now that was some- thing! Because she acted courageously even in the face of risk, she and the Jewish people were preserved.

Today, "when push comes to shove" moments still confront the people of God. Moments when the need is to step out in faith, push back on fear, and do what we know is right, not merely what is easy or "safe." Moments when we take actions that back up our words. What do you do "when push comes to shove?"

     by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN 

 

Caution: Don’t Let the "News" Give You the Blues!

 I want to warn you – you may hate this joke. So a man said, "I just bought my first car. I’m now at risk for the Car-owner virus." What’s that? You hated that joke? I tried to warn you! My subject in this piece is not about the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. Well, sort of not about it. The topic I want to address is risk. Specifically, the risk of infection with "the bad news blues." Millions are at risk of being infected with Covid-19, and the conflict and controversy over how to prevent and slow its spread and how to live until it goes away rages on. Politicians at the national level got into the discussion from the get-go, and each major party now seems determined to slant the virus issue to their own advantage, especially in this presidential campaign season, and even more so since President Trump was infected with it! The result, as is often the case when politics and politicians at the national and state level get involved, is more heat than light about the pandemic and how to best counter it. Mix in a clearly divided media, each relentlessly pushing its own agenda, and the result is mud-slinging on a national level! Lyrics from Anne Murray’s 1983 song are as pertinent now as when the song was released 37 years ago – "We sure could use a little good news, today."

 Now my main point. Do you want to make yourself feel better? Do you want to be less angry, depressed, and discouraged? Want to feel better about our country and enjoy life more? If so, let me urge you to exercise caution about gorging on too much "news" these days. I’m not sure many if any will heed the warning. Be that as it may, I will say it again: CAUTION: THE "NEWS" MAY GIVE YOU THE BLUES!" Why so? The oldest and best book on good mental health (better known as the Holy Bible!) urges us to understand in Proverbs 23:7a: "For as he thinks in his heart so is he." Even as he suffered unjustly in a Roman prison, the apostle Paul urged Christians long ago: "whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). It has been said, "You are what you eat." But God’s word clearly calls us to understand, "You are what you think" – and the quality and fitness of what we think is largely determined by what we allow into our minds ("heart" in the Bible ). In her book Rapt Attention and the Focused Life, Winifred Gallagher wrote, "What you focus on creates your experience. Choosing your targets wisely is the key to the good life." This is precisely why we are at risk. In this modern digital age, the "news" is pervasive, and much of it perversive. Via smart phones in our hands that deliver a heavy dose of visual images, we witness in what is virtually real-time the worst human beings can do and say to each other, as well as accidents and "natural disasters." Research reveals that the effect of all that bad, bloody, and bleak stuff – along with the constant conflict, anger, violence, and irresponsible and slanted rhetoric – delivered in spectacular and dramatic words and images, is generating high levels of anxiety and even depression in millions. Too much of it puts us at great risk of being infected with a bad case of bad, sad, mad "stinking thinking." Our minds become a breeding ground for all kinds of fearful, anxious, angry thoughts. I know this is not a technical analysis – but when all that fills your mind, that ain’t good! I say again: be careful, because too much "news" will likely give you a bad case of the blues!

          by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

 

Do Preachers Ever Know What They Are Doing?

 

 Many years ago Basil Overton grabbed me by the ears with this statement about preaching (in the middle of a sermon): "The reason I love what I’m doing is because a I never know what I’m doing." The apostle Paul loved preaching Christ’s gospel. After rising from the waters of baptism, "Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God" (Acts 9:18-20). He had unbounded confidence that Christ’s gospel is "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). This statement comes on the heels of verse 15 where he declared his eagerness and readiness to preach Jesus – "So, as much as is in me, I am ready (English Standard Version ‘eager’) to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also." And yet, the great apostle hints at the idea he never knew for sure what he was doing when he preached! That thought is clearly seen in 1 Corinthians 1:18 where he wrote, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Paul viewed the gospel message and preaching it as a divine drama. He knew God was reaching for people’s souls through the gospel message as he proclaimed it – but he never knew while doing so if the gospel was having a saving influence on those hearing it, or if it was taking hearers further along in the process of perishing as they rejected appeals to trust and obey Christ! All this reminds us the preacher’s task is a rather daunting one. He faces multiple challenges every time he rises to preach. He is expected to be well trained, accurate, and interesting as he retells the two-thousand-year-old story of Jesus, sometimes to people who have already heard it told 100's if not thousands of times. On Sundays the preacher faces a diverse crowd. People sitting in the pews are all over the map spiritually, socially, financially, philosophically, politically, and educationally. Interest in the sermon and moral / spiritual truth ranges from almost non-existent to intense. Some are wide-awake with anticipation as the preacher cracks open his Bible, while others yawn, watch the clock, go online via their smart phone, play with the baby, or otherwise tune the preacher out. Some want the sermon loaded with stories and illustrations; others are sure such things have no place in the pulpit, lest the preacher "entertain" listeners. Some agree and silently say "Amen" to the sermon; some disagree and not so silently say so, if not to the preacher’s face, then behind his back. We could go on but you get the picture.

 What should the preacher do in view of these challenges and uncertainties? W. A. Criswell once said, "When a man comes to church what he is actually saying to you is this – ‘Preacher, I know what the TV commentator has to say: I hear him every day. I know what the editorial writer has to say: I read it every day. I know what the magazines have to say: I read them every week. Preacher, what I want to know is, does God have anything to say? If God has anything to say, tell us what it is." Consider the apostle Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 – "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Let us pray that God will give us preachers who will be determined to preach Christ and tell us what God has to say – even though they never know what they are doing. 

           by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Pandemics, Politics – and Unceasing Prayer!

 Trent Shelton, former NFL wide receiver turned inspirational speaker, said, "Control what you can. Pray about what you can’t." I’m not sure we ought to say that is Biblical advice, for the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, "Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (English Standard Version "give thanks in all circumstances"). So, while we should always pray about what we can’t control, we should also pray and give thanks to God when we are "in control" – i.e., in every circumstance! But, then again, are we really ever in total control? The notion we are in complete control is in fact a misguided and dangerous exercise in self-delusion. God’s book urges us, "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1). Again, addressing people who were making make plans and predictions concerning where they would go, how long they would stay, what they would do, and how much profit they would make in a year, James 4:14-15 warns how little control we ultimately have – "whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." Really now, are you in control?

 Those in touch with the reality of the human situation know these Scriptures "tell it like it is." There are always forces beyond our control affecting our lives. You can plan a picnic a month ahead in the summer- time, but you can’t control whether a thunderstorm will rain on it. You can step into the shower in a hurry to get ready for work, but an unplanned "slip" on a wet floor may lead to serious injury or worse. You can head out onto the highway for a quick run to Walmart or to "eat out" in another city – and a drunk or sleepy or distracted driver may change not only your day but the rest of your life. And if you get to the restaurant, an unseen microbe in your salad or in the meat dish you order may bring a very unplanned and unwanted case of "food poisoning." And I almost forgot – there can be pandemics where an itty bitty, microscopic-sized thing called "Coronavirus-19" manages to escape from some place in China and jump across oceans and continents until its presence has affected practically every person in every corner of the planet! Add to that a political and social climate polluted with malice, unrest, angry and sometimes irresponsible rhetoric and you have all the ingredients for widespread uncertainty and a high level of anxiety and feelings of helplessness.

 So what can we do? I don’t want to oversimplify, but remember the quote from Shelton – "Control what you can. Pray about what you can’t." That may sound kind of "preachy" and like a religious cliche. It is what we expect preachers to say, but preachers didn’t make it up. The word from God is that prayer can bring the power of God into our lives! Charles Hodge wrote, "I don’t believe in prayer, I believe in God: therefore, I pray" . . . Prayer is power because God is God. Prayer works because God works!" (The Voice of Faith: Resource Publications, 1966, p 11) Prayer may or may not alter what is going on around you. And praying may not give you the complete control you long to have in the middle of a pandemic and rabidly partisan political season. But through prayer God can alter what goes on inside us as we submit our lives to Him in trust. Prayer helps us remember God is always in control. So pray – and do it without ceasing. 

       by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

 

God, Your Gold, and Your Soul!

Fort Knox is a 109,054 acre army base near Louisville, Kentucky, built during World War I. In 1936 an area within Fort Knox was transferred from the army to the Treasury Department for the purpose of building the United States Bullion Depository. A fascinating online article by Shimon Rosenberg @ zmanmagazine.com describes Fort Knox as "the most secure building on the planet." He refers to Fort Knox as "America’s Treasure Chest." Security measures at the fort are extensive and extreme to the max, and for good reason. Locked inside the vault of the depository building are many billions of dollars worth of gold, secured by 30,000 soldiers and hundreds of army tanks with cutting edge weaponry. The vault "is constructed of such robust materials and protected by such advanced security measures that it is literally impenetrable." According to Rosenberg, the 5,000 tons of gold bars stored there equal 2.5% of all the gold ever mined in the history of the world! The underground vault housing all that gold has a 250-ton door that no bomb is capable of blasting through. Truly, the gold and other treasures laid up at Fort Knox are protected in one of the mightiest bunkers this world has ever seen!

If you could get your earthly treasures into the vault at Fort Knox, they would be in the most secure place on earth. The bad news is you can’t get them in there! Even so, there is good news. There is a vault that is even more secure than the one in Fort Knox, and the treasures it protects are quite literally out of this world! The treasures and the vault that protects them are described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:19-21 where He charges His disciples: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Heaven stretches human imagination. Its glory is (many believe) metaphorically described by the apostle John in Revelation 21. Verse 18 says "the city was pure gold" and shortly later he wrote "the street of the city was pure gold." Besides gold, along the way John also mentions the most precious and valuable gemstones known to man (verses 19-21). And yet, astonishingly, Jesus, declares other even more precious treasures are being "laid / stored up" in heaven. Not in the form of gold bars. Instead, to coin words used by William M. Golden in his gospel song "A Beautiful Life" (1936), the "treasures" Christians put on deposit in heaven are "golden deeds." Verse one of Golden’s hymn says, "Each day I’ll do a golden deed, By helping those who are in need." We don’t think of common, everyday little things we do for others as "golden" or as something we would call a "treasure." But the Lord does. Jesus Himself attached great worth to the smallest of good deeds, promising that whoever gives "only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple shall by no means lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42). There is no eternal reward in simply heaping and laying up gold here on earth. If you owned all the gold in Fort Knox, and if no thief could break in there to take it away from you, the cold, hard fact remains that death would take you away from it. That’s the inherent weakness in ALL earthly treasures and the vaults we deposit them in. Now, how much treasure have you laid up in heaven? Let me encourage you to make daily deposits. God will take good care of your gold, and your soul – forever. Even Fort Knox can’t do that.

    by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN